


Day 28, Day 30

by Widowfics



Series: Varian and Whumptober 2020 [21]
Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Hurt Varian (Disney), I only named one cause I was tired of saying he, Ignoring an Injury, SO MANY TIMES, Whumptober 2020, also there's some original charcters, anyways enjoy ig, but they're not important, don't judge I'm just a freshman, it's more just him getting beat up, mugged, they're just jerks tho that don't deserve names, well along those lines, which is also great right
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:54:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27270769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Widowfics/pseuds/Widowfics
Summary: And while he would like to think he can get through without anyone noticing him, it’s pretty obvious that will be impossible. Nevertheless, his father is waiting for him at home, and he’s late as it is. So, with his hands in his pockets and his head bowed, he begins his trek through the street. He can only see the ground, as his long bangs cover his face. Thankfully, people seem to be moving out of his way - whether or not it’s because he walks in a hurry or because they know exactly who he is, Varian doesn’t know, nor does he care to find out.
Relationships: Rapunzel & Varian (Disney), Varian (Disney) & Original Character(s)
Series: Varian and Whumptober 2020 [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1940524
Comments: 14
Kudos: 100
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	1. Such Wow. Many Normal. Very Oops.

**Author's Note:**

> hey guys! don't really have to say much since I already posted today...anyways hope you like this (I've had it written for a while)
> 
> PROMPTS I USED TODAY: mugged (eh)

This isn’t Varian’s first time walking through the city of Corona alone. Far from it, in fact. He has been running from his house to the capital ever since he was eight or nine, when Quirin had first started letting him get his own supplies from the various stores and shops.

This is, however, the first time since his release (escape, really) from prison. And while he and the princess are finally on good terms again, that doesn’t apply to everyone else in the kingdom. 

Speaking of the princess, the whole reason he’s walking home alone this late at night is because their usual dinner together (ever since they had become friends again, she had insisted he visit her in the palace at least twice a week, so they would never drift apart) had gone a bit longer than normal. Which Varian doesn’t mind in the least; he loves listening to Rapunzel’s stories from her year long trip.

But now he just wants to get home. At least two people have rushed into their houses at the sight of him, and the constant whispers of  _ traitor  _ steadily fill his head the farther he walks. He really wishes he had brought Ruddiger now, but the sight of his loyal pet napping in his bed had been too cute to disturb when he had left his house earlier that day.

Suddenly, Varian stops. To officially get out of the capital, he just needs to cross through the market street. Which is usually easy, except tonight, all the shops are filled with people. It’s the last rush before everything closes.

This will be...challenging. And while he would like to think he can get through without anyone noticing him, it’s pretty obvious that will be impossible. Nevertheless, his father is waiting for him at home, and he’s late as it is. So, with his hands in his pockets and his head bowed, he begins his trek through the street. He can only see the ground, as his long bangs cover his face. Thankfully, people seem to be moving out of his way - whether or not it’s because he walks in a hurry or because they know exactly who he is, Varian doesn’t know, nor does he care to find out.

Soon enough the change of color in the cobblestones indicates he is finally out of the city. Finally, he can lift his head up, brush the hair out of his face, and get back to his village, where-

BAM!

Without a second of warning, Varian finds himself tumbling to the ground, narrowly catching himself with his thankfully gloved hands. He winces at the strain of the fall, looking up with an annoyed expression at whatever could’ve caused it.

A wave of panic rushes through him as he makes eye contact with a tall man he has never met. He realizes he must’ve run into him while he was staring at the ground.

“Oh, hey, are you ok?” the man says, holding out a hand before Varian can react.

Varian hesitates a bit, before eventually taking it. In a moment, he is back on his feet.

“Thanks,” he mutters, already moving to get away. It’s obvious the man doesn’t recognize him yet, and he wants to keep it that way.

Unfortunately, his step forward is blocked by another man, about the same size.

“Hey, I know you,” the new man practically growls.

Oh no.

Too late.

“Eric,” he continues, nudging the guy who had helped Varian up. “It’s the brat that kidnapped the queen and made us do all the mining!”

The first man, Eric, widens his eyes in realization, before narrowing them in disgust.

“You got a lotta nerve being around here,” he finally spits.

Varian can’t help but shrink back at both men’s words. Of course, they’re right, but that doesn’t make them any less scary and hurtful.

“Look, guys, I’m just trying to get back home,” he manages to get out. “I don’t want any trouble.”

The unnamed man scoffs.

“No trouble, huh? Well, maybe you should’ve thought about that before you tried to take over the kingdom.”

There’s a silence, with the two men glaring at the small teen who stands in front of them. It’s in this moment that Varian realizes where they are: behind a building, hidden so well by the night’s shadows that no one would notice if things were to go...wrong.

This time when Varian speaks, he makes sure his tone is unwavering.

“Please get out of my way.”

Eric raises an eyebrow while his friend adopts a cruel grin.

“So, the kid escapes prison once and now he’s got a big head,” Eric muses. “Listen here, just because of your little attempted regicide does not mean you get to be passing out any orders.”

Suddenly, the two men look at each other. Eric’s face lights up as if a brilliant idea has just dawned on him. 

“In fact, I think it’s about time someone taught you a lesson…”

It doesn’t take a genius to understand what’s being implied. In a rush of panic, Varian makes one last attempt to just get home already. Without hesitation, he bolts from where he stands.

He only gets about three steps out before large arms wrap around his waist, hauling him back towards the alley.

“Let me go!” he shouts, kicking and thrashing in the man’s hold to no avail. 

“You can’t squirm your way out of this one, you filthy traitor,” one of them threatens, pushing him away roughly.

Varian stumbles backwards, trying to keep from falling down. As soon as he regains his balance, a fist meets his face, and this time he does fall. It doesn’t take long for hits to land all over his body, and all he can do is curl into a ball. He shields his face the best he can, already feeling the effects of the first punch. 

The various insults and assaults thrown at him make Varian want to burst into tears on the spot. He manages to hold back, only crying out in pain on particularly hard kicks. He does try to fight back, but it’s useless; these men are just too big and too mad.

_ Don’t these idiots know I’ve been pardoned?  _ he thinks to himself, but deep down, he knows he doesn’t really mean it. The people of Corona have every right to be angry at him, every reason to hate him. He knew he had something like this coming, and frankly, he’s surprised it didn’t happen sooner. 

Suddenly, Varian feels himself being lifted up by his collar. He yelps at the strain on his newly acquired bruises and cuts, hands instinctively shooting up to grab the ones around his shirt. He freezes when his eyes meet Eric’s, full of apparent satisfaction at his state. He can’t help but shudder.

“I don’t want to ever see you around here again,” Eric hisses.

Varian knows that can’t happen, with all the royal projects he’s working on now and visits he’s promised to the castle, but he nods anyways. Fear and pain seem to be the only emotions fueling him right now.

Without warning, he’s thrown to the ground, head smacking against the alley wall. Black spots dot the edge of his vision and a nauseous feeling creeps through his already beaten stomach.

He barely notices hands searching through his pockets, no doubt taking anything valuable. 

“...probably stole it from the palace…” he hears one of them say over the clinking of the moneybag Rapunzel had given him for one of his projects. Great, he’s getting mugged too.

He tries to focus on his breathing, not able to lift his face out of the dirt yet without his injuries screaming at him to stay down. He’s vaguely aware of the blood dripping from his split lip, trying not to think about it for fear of passing out.

After a while, he realizes his attackers have left. He lets out a groan, pushing himself into a sitting position. He leans his throbbing head against the wall, exhaling shakily. A few people pass by, but either don’t see him in the shadows or  _ do  _ see him, recognize him, and hurriedly rush away.

Varian accepts he’s not getting home tonight. He just hopes someone that doesn’t hate him finds him by morning, or tells his Dad where he is. Quirin might think he’s staying at the palace tonight, so he won’t be looking for him anytime soon.

He wipes away some tears that are definitely just from his low pain tolerance, and not fresh insults. Or growing hopelessness. Or crippling loneliness that reminds him of a dark time not too long ago…

No. It’s just pain.

So Varian sits as still as possible, shivering a little from the cold, waiting for help that will probably never come.

Again. 


	2. Now Where Did That Come From?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I know people hate me. Heck, half this city wants me dead. That’s why I usually avoid travelling alone. Or at night. Or alone at night. Today was a...special occasion.”  
> Rapunzel’s mouth hangs open, momentarily at a loss for words.  
> “And you’re ok with that?” she finally gets out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey!! so I know today is technically the last day of whumptober, but I just did not have enough time to finish the last prompt before the end of the day (sorry). Day 31 is pretty long and action packed, so I think it'll be worth the wait. Hopefully it'll be out by tomorrow, and hopefully you enjoy this!
> 
> tbh I'm actually surprised I've made it this far...
> 
> PROMPTS I USED TODAY: ignoring an injury (in a way)

Rapunzel shivers a little as her bare feet pad down the cold, empty streets of Corona’s capital. She trails her hand along the equally cold walls, enjoying the quiet of the very late (or should she say early, guessing it must be about 2 or 3 in the morning) hour. A small lantern is the only thing lighting her way, the absence of the moon tonight making everything very dark. 

No one knows that she’s out tonight, and she hopes to keep it that way. She chuckles, remembering another time she had snuck out in the night and creeped around the dark city. Her first rebellious act against her father, her first secret from Eugene, her first real adventure with Cass…

She cuts herself off with a sad sigh, the thought of her former friend saddening any memories. Cass is the reason  _ why  _ Rapunzel had felt the need to get out tonight. Her dinner with Varian earlier had brought the subject up, and she hasn’t been able to get it out of her mind since. 

It’s a…difficult, subject, to say the least. And she had come out tonight to clear her head, so she stops thinking about it. Instead, dinner comes to mind again, but for a different reason this time. She loves seeing Varian so often now, being able to fix a mistake she made so long ago. Her small mistake had caused so much pain in the boy’s life, something she knows they both will never fully get over. That’s not to say they’re not growing, because they most certainly are. Things Varian would’ve never dared to mention before are slowly becoming topics of casual conversation. It’s not everything, but it’s a good start, and she couldn’t be prouder of him.

She is worried, though. Even if he’s getting better, and she and Eugene trust the kid wholeheartedly, it’s not the case for others. She’s heard the whispers and gossip, seen the way people look at him when he walks down the street or through the halls of the palace. They haven’t forgiven him, and she fears they may actually hate him. She’s been meaning to talk to him about it, but he always seems so happy, so like his old self, that she can’t bring herself to change that. It does have to happen, sooner or later, and that’s something she can’t ignore.

She turns another corner, before realizing she’s entered an alley. About to turn around, she suddenly pauses, something telling her to stay. She peers into the dark, holding out her lantern to help her see. At first, nothing particular catches her attention, but then she spots it.

A figure, sitting against the back wall, seemingly unmoving. She doesn’t recognize them, that is until an overly familiar blue streak of hair stands out. She claps a hand over her mouth, now taking in a freckled face highlighted by different shades of bruises, lips slightly parted and dripping with a thin stream of blood, and fairly new clothes all torn up. Someone did this to him, that much is obvious, and she immediately knows why.

She rushes towards Varian, almost dropping her lantern in the process. Her fear had come true, and it’s her fault. Once again, she had waited too long because of uncomfortableness and her friend was suffering from it. 

Kneeling down, she gently brushes away his long bangs, softly holding his face in her hand. His skin is cold to the touch, meaning he must’ve been out here for a while now. She carefully pats his cheek, avoiding a fairly large cut, and whispers concernedly. 

“Varian! Varian, wake up!”

To her relief, she gets a small groan in response. After a few seconds, his eyes begin to flutter open, revealing duller than usual blue. He seems to wince slightly at every movement.

“P-Princess…?”

She smiles a little, nodding her head.

“Yeah, it’s me. Are you ok?”

“Um...sure…” he answers quietly, attempting a small laugh, which ends up turning to a cough.

Her expression softens considerably as she does her best to support him until the fit is over. He sighs, leaning his head against the wall and closing his eyes.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going back to sleep,” he informs her before she can say anything about the action. “Just...give me a second.”

“Varian, I’m so sorry,” she says genuinely, ignoring his attempts at trying to be lighthearted.

He cracks an eye open, looking confused. “Huh? Why?”

“I know you’ve been so busy lately, getting back to normal and spending time with your dad, and I didn’t want to ruin that for you. But I’ve seen how people look at you and I hear what they say-”

“Oh, so do I.”

Rapunzel blinks at the interruption. Varian has now turned his head in a position where he can see her clearly, eyes now all the way open.

“What?”

“I know people hate me. Heck, half this city wants me dead. That’s why I usually avoid travelling alone. Or at night. Or alone at night. Today was a...special occasion.”

Rapunzel’s mouth hangs open, momentarily at a loss for words. 

“And you’re ok with that?” she finally gets out.

He shrugs, stopping midway when another cut flares up. 

“I mean, I’m not dead. And I’m not in  _ prison _ , so I can’t be complaining.”

“Varian, it’s not complaining if you’re concerned for your own safety.”

“Who says I’m concerned?”   


Rapunzel stares at him, complete disbelief in her features. His forced relaxedness is gone in a second, and he sits up straighter.

“Wait, hold on, that’s not what I meant. Rapunzel, I-”

“No,” she cuts him off, holding up a hand. She carefully puts it on his shoulder, trying to calm his sudden worry at upsetting her. Out of the two of them, she’s not the one who needs to be worried about. “Varian, I had no idea that’s how you felt. I guess that just shows you I’m not getting better as a friend at all.”

Varian puts down both his hands, eyes wide and intense.

“That’s not true! Rapunzel, you’re a great friend! And I can never pay you back for everything you’ve done for me.”

All of a sudden, she pulls him into a hug, cautious to avoid any injuries. He’s surprised at first, but after a moment, he returns the embrace.

“We both did a lot of bad things, Varian,” she whispers in his ear. “But it seems like you’re the only one paying for it. And I can’t stand by and let that happen. Not anymore.”

He can’t find an answer to that, so he stays quiet. For a few seconds, they stay like this.

“Come on,” she finally says, pulling away. “Your dad must be worried.”

She stands, helping him up as he leans against the wall. He lets out a small groan, resting a bit before going on.

“Ok,” he answers as they both begin to make their way to the street, moving slowly with his new limp that he can already tell will be gone in a few days time. A few hours ago, he wouldn’t have been able to walk, but just something about her presence makes him more energized than normal.

Her previous words come to mind and he pauses, turning his face towards her once more. She returns the look.

“But just for the record, I think you are paying for it, even if you won’t tell anyone. I’m not the only hurt one.”

Rapunzel is at a loss for words, knowing exactly what Varian is referring to. Cassandra’s betrayal left a wound she’s not sure will ever heal. More importantly, she doesn’t know if she’ll get the chance to make things right.

But looking at the teen in her arm, and thinking back to all the things they’ve been through, gives her hope. All she has to do, is  _ never  _ give up.

Like a good friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!!!

**Author's Note:**

> thx for reading!


End file.
